


Shovel talks are for AFTER they get together, Ruby!

by Chiherah



Category: RWBY
Genre: Clover giving her a bad time back, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Ruby Sees All, Ruby being her chaotic self, Shovel Talk, Vague Threats, only very minor angst this time aha, protective nieces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27112432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiherah/pseuds/Chiherah
Summary: Qrow needs to speak to Clover, but ends up accidentally overhearing his conversation with Ruby, who is only vaguely threatening him (with good reason, of course... she loves her Uncle).
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 64





	Shovel talks are for AFTER they get together, Ruby!

**Author's Note:**

> WHAT? Chi wrote more than one fic? SHOCKING!  
> I love these boys too much, what can I say?
> 
> A huge thank you to TesseractTown for beta-reading this!
> 
> This silly idea came to me a couple days ago and I had to get it out. Hope you enjoy!

Qrow’s hands are in his pockets, feet dragging as he marches down one of the many corridors of the upper levels of Atlas Academy. He had just come back from an off-the-books scouting mission and now was making his way to find Clover and report his findings to the Captain. 

He knows he doesn’t have to, of course. Clover isn’t his superior by any means, and he’d be damned if he considered himself underneath the man, let alone a part of the Atlesian military at all. But Ruby had said she wanted to build trust between their merry band of misfits and the Atleasians, so he had agreed to work with them to reach their common goal of stopping Salem. 

And, he has to admit, the more he works alongside the Ace-Ops, the more he finds himself growing fond of his new teammates. Elm is boisterous and charismatic, a booming voice but a grounding presence. Harriet is spunky, quick on her feet in more ways than one, and never hesitates to say what’s on her mind. Marrow is playful and energetic, though Qrow feels bad that most of the jokes made by the team are at the poor guy’s expense. Vine is… well, Vine: an enigma, but his literal mind and monotonous demeanor is at least a good calm to cancel out the chaos of the others. 

And Clover…

Clover is someone he still couldn’t fully wrap his mind around, even though, lately, it seems the man was all he ever thinks about. When he had first met Clover, he thought of the man as cocky, arrogant and the epitome of the ‘perfect soldier’ with the stick up his ass that Jimmy would have a field day with. But after several awkward conversations and some very boring missions, he found that Clover didn’t really fit the bill of what his mind had made the man out to be.

Clover had shown himself as kind, carefree, and just a bit of a show-off. He seems genuine and trustworthy from what time they had spent together thus far, and recently Qrow had found himself opening up to the man more than he ever had to anyone else. He feels comfortable next to him, and he has to admit that they compliment each other’s fighting styles to the point they are nearly perfectly in sync each time they fight together. He isn’t sure if it was because of their opposing semblances, or something else, but it scares him a little bit with just how at ease the other man makes him feel.

Heck, it was bad enough the other would  _ compliment _ him like he won a trophy or something. And it wasn’t just some one-off, backhanded compliments like he was used to. No, it was full-on, genuinely heartfelt compliments about him being a good person, or doing good things. Just the other day, Clover had smiled that blinding smile of his and told him he was ‘paving the way to excellence for those kids’ and then looked at him with such pure adoration in those green eyes that he almost ran out of the room because he felt like he was going to combust一and with his luck, he just might have.

Qrow feels a small smile tug at the corner of his lips as his face warms just thinking about the past few interactions he’s had with Clover in the last couple of months. Time really had flown as they were all working together to build the Amity Communications Tower. Even though many of those days had been a struggle for him, he is glad he could see and experience each day with a clearer mind and brighter eyes. And when the fog had finally left his mind, he started noticing that maybe his comfort with Clover wasn’t purely platonic as he had first thought.

After all, it wasn’t every day someone was on the receiving end of the Shy Branwen Smile, and an Atlesian officer at that.

Qrow rounds another corner and inwardly chuckles at the thought. Wow, he really did just admit his own feelings, didn’t he? But, like most everything else in his life, it was better kept to himself. After all, Clover was just that sort of guy, right? Nice to everyone, a total show-off, and definitely someone that wouldn’t want to take the risk of being with him, even with his luck. 

Then again, Clover had proved his mind wrong before.

A high-pitched voice had him stopping in his tracks a few hundred feet from the next hallway, however. A very familiar voice. One he had known and loved for years.

“You can’t say you haven’t noticed. You have eyes, right? I have eyes! Perfectly normal eyes! Okay maybe not so normal, but they work well enough to see that he's definitely different. Right? Tell me I’m wrong!”

Qrow chuckles under his breath at Ruby’s energetic ramblings. But who was she talking to?

He gets his answer quickly as a low baritone voice carries down the hall, “I can certainly agree with you, Miss Rose, that your uncle has been in better spirits as of late. I’m not blind to see the change in his demeanor from his arrival up to now.”

Clover. Just the man he was looking for. Qrow lightens his footfall and slowly inches closer to the end of the hall to hear better. Why were they talking about  _ him _ ?

“Thank you!” Ruby exclaims. Qrow can basically hear her throwing her hands up in time. “He is much happier now, and is actually starting to smile more? It’s so amazing! Ever since Beacon fell he’s been all frowns and dreary eyes. I mean, that’s totally understandable. And I know that quitting drinking has made a  _ huge _ difference, but I’m starting to suspect that  _ you _ have played an even bigger role with it.”

Qrow pauses a beat. Where was she going with this?

“You think so?” Clover hums, “I mean, I would hope I could help even the tiniest bit. I will admit that I’ve been trying to help him think more positively about himself. He’s a good man, and it’s a shame he doesn’t think the same.”

Qrow feels himself warm again. He leans against the wall, debating if he should just walk in there to stop them from saying anything else.

“And I completely agree. And thanks, by the way, for keeping an eye on him.”

Qrow can barely hear the soft huff of a chuckle from Clover.

“HOWEVER,” Ruby exclaims before Clover can say anything, “I have made several attempts to try to tell him all that, too, before. But somehow with you, he’s been more receptive!”

“Miss Rose, may I ask what you’re trying to insinuate?”

“Is there something to be insinuated, Captain Ebi? I’m just stating facts here, unless you have something to share with the class?”

Qrow feels his heart rate quicken. Was his niece seriously starting to interrogate Clover? And what information could she possibly want?

“I’m sorry?”

Qrow starts to move closer to the end of the hallway just in case he needs to intervene. He wasn’t about to let his niece get arrested… again. 

“I’m just saying, you two are  _ friends _ , right?” Ruby asks. 

“Well yes, we-” 

“Just friends?”

Qrow freezes in that moment, the silence from both parties deafening. He presses himself closer to the wall. He doesn’t know why he can’t will himself to just  _ go in there _ and stop the conversation now. 

“Miss Rose, I can assure you my relationship with your uncle is strictly professional.”

Qrow feels whatever is left of his soul officially leave his body. Strictly professional. His heart feels tight in his chest. He should have known this.

He pushes himself away from the wall and turns to leave. He can talk to Clover later. He doesn’t need to hear any of this.

“You say that now, but I see the way you look at him. Like I said, Clover, I have functioning eyes.” Ruby says.

Qrow pauses mid-step again. What did she mean by  _ that _ ? How was Clover looking at him?

“I’m not quite sure what you’re implying, Miss Rose, but I would suggest you not to meddle into others’ relationships,” Clover said, his tone rather clipped and reserved for how open he normally is. Qrow can hear Clover’s nervousness. He had the same tone when they spoke with Robyn the time her and the huntresses stopped their cargo transport and had to lie their way through. 

“I’m just saying,” Ruby says, a warning tone in her voice, “that I’m not blind, and I know there’s more going on between you two than you both probably think. I’m not going to get involved, I know my place. But I will say this. I am thankful that you’re one of the biggest reasons Uncle Qrow is finally smiling again, be it friend, partner or otherwise. And I would love it if he finally got to keep that happiness for once.”

Qrow inches closer back towards the end of the hallway, making sure to stay out of the line of sight of the briefing room in the shadows. 

“So it should go without saying,” Ruby continues, “that if you ever hurt my uncle, I am not above breaking your very normal knees.” 

Qrow blanches.  _ Oh no… _

There’s a pause before Clover speaks. “Miss Rose, are you threatening a superior officer?”

“I am only saying that if you hurt my family there would be serious consequences. Also you should be glad I’m the one that’s telling you this and not Yang because I am ninety-nine percent sure you would have a face full of fire hair and  _ that _ would be way more threatening.”

“But you aren’t denying that what you are saying  _ is _ a threat.”

“It might be.” Qrow can hear the playful shrug in her voice.

“You  _ do _ know that is a violation of Atlas Military Code of Conduct and I could have your huntress license suspended for that, right?”

“Psshh… only if you could prove I did, right? You couldn’t prove anything! And who would believe you over me? I’m small and cute! No one can say no to this face!”

“You are aware that Atlas has the most advanced security systems installed in all its buildings, right? There  _ are _ cameras in this room.” 

“And who’s to say I didn’t hack them before I came in here, huh?” Ruby huffs. 

Qrow once again is paralyzed in fear. What is she  _ doing _ ? At this rate she is going to actually get her license revoked instead of just suspended -- or worse, arrested… again! On one hand, he so badly wants to rush in there to protect his niece. On the other hand… they would then both know he had overheard their conversation.

He hears Clover chuckle. At least that was a good sign. 

“No offense to your intellect, Miss Rose, but I doubt you could do that.”

Qrow almost laughs himself. Clover really shouldn’t doubt these kids’ abilities. 

Ruby snorts. “With all due respect, Captain Ebi, we  _ did _ steal an airship to get into the most protected kingdom in Remnant, all while it was locked down with an embargo. I’m pretty sure I could somehow figure out how to get around the cameras.”

Qrow is two steps more towards the door to finally step in before he hears Clover full-on laugh. 

“Alright, alright, you make a convincing argument, Miss Rose.” Qrow senses that Clover may actually not believe Ruby at all. And thank goodness for that. He would have hated to have to bust her out of prison. Though, he could imagine that Clover would have had to try to  _ catch _ her, first.

Qrow steps back into the shadow of the hallway. 

“I do mean it, Clover,” Ruby pleads in a softer voice. “Please don’t hurt my uncle. Or lead him on, if it really is ‘strictly professional’. He truly deserves happiness, and the last thing I want to see him with again is a broken heart.”

Clover hums. “Ruby, the last thing I want is to hurt Qrow. I’m plenty sure he’s been through enough already. I’m not going to add to that list, I promise. I  _ do _ care about him. And he deserves so much more than the cards he’s currently been dealt.”

Qrow presses a hand to his chest, his heartbeat loud in his ears. Clover  _ cares _ . And he sounded so sincere about it. Qrow quickly pushes himself off the wall and once again starts making his way back down the corridor, his chest feeling tight. He certainly can’t talk to Clover now, not feeling like this. 

So he walks, nearly runs, down the halls of Atlas Academy, aimlessly wandering to try to clear his mind off of the conversation he just overheard. He shakes his hands and taps them against his thighs to get the nerves out, making sure to keep moving so he doesn’t sit too long with his thoughts.

As he makes his way through the school, he finds himself running into the other kids. He waves at Yang as she, Blake and Weiss are headed to the library. He stops only for a moment to watch as Oscar trains with James more to try to bring back Oz, and spares a sympathetic look to Ren and Jaune as Nora drags them off to who-knows-where.

He finally makes his way back around to the briefing room, the soft blue glow from the holo screens shining within, signaling Clover is still inside. Taking a breath to steel himself, he steps into the open frame and rasps his knuckles against the paneling. 

“Knock, knock.” Qrow casually leans against the frame, a soft smile as the only occupant in the room turns and locks eyes with him. 

“Qrow! Good to see you. Come on in,” Clover shuts down the holo screen he was looking at and waves him over. “What’s up?”

“Not much,” he says as he walks into the room, shoving his hands into his pockets, “just wanted to swing by and let you know I did a quick perimeter check down in Mantle earlier today.”

“Oh yeah? Anything to report?”

“Yes, actually. The eastern wall that had been attacked last week seems to be… patched up. Sort of. It’s holding. But I fear it may not for much longer. We may want to keep an extra eye on that part.”

Clover nods. “Right, I’ll make a note of that, then. Anything else?”

“Just a few more drones being attacked by citizens. But I’m sure you already know that.”

Clover grimaces. “Yes, we’re aware. Our security systems are linked so when a Knight gets destroyed, the patrol huntsmen are alerted to recover it.” 

“Yeah, I thought as much,” Qrow chuckles. He shuffles on his feet a bit, his eyes flitting to the floor. “Well, uh. That’s it. That’s the report.”

A small smile is sent his way. “Thank you, Qrow. I appreciate it.” There’s a small beep on Clover’s scroll, and the man pulls it out with a small frown before putting it away. “Actually, Qrow, before you go…”

Qrow looks up and back to Clover, “Uh, yeah?”

“Please don’t take this as an accusation, but… could Ruby hack Atlas's security?"

Qrow startled slightly, blinking to try to hide any noticeable reaction. "Uh… Ruby? I mean… she's got friends that have connections that can't say no to those silver eyes... like Penny..."

Qrow almost laughs as Clover pales, his mouth forming a tight line. 

He smirks, crossing his arms. "But I don't think she actually would ever do that, especially not for nefarious things. She’s too good-hearted to ever do something ‘bad’ without there being a good reason for it. Why do you ask? Do you have reason to believe she would?"

"She may have sort of... threatened me..."

Qrow fakes shock, uncrossing his arms and giving his full attention to Clover. "She WHAT?"

Clover holds his hands out. “It’s fine, Qrow, really. It was coming from a well-meant place, and I didn’t take it seriously. But she did make a compelling argument.” 

Qrow drags a hand down his face. “Okay, first of all, don’t let her have a free pass on this. I’ll talk to her. Second of all, what did she threaten you over?”

Clover shrugs. “She was just looking out for you.”

“Me? What about me? I can look out for myself.” Qrow silently thanks all the years he had been a spy to help him manage these sorts of situations. He so much wanted to fly out of the room and away from this conversation. But that would be extremely suspicious. 

“As I’m sure she’s aware. She loves you a lot, you know.” 

“Stop deflecting, Shamrock.” Qrow smirks as he places a hand on his hip. He wonders just how much he could press Clover for the information, at least to be able to have grounds to talk to Ruby about it. “Why would she threaten you about me?” 

He swears Clover’s face becomes just slightly redder, but it could just be the lighting in here. 

“She just said that if I hurt you, she’d come for my kneecaps.”

Qrow snorts. “Damn, sounds like she gave you a shovel talk.” 

“I suppose so.”

“Those are usually reserved for people that are, you know, dating and shit…”

“Indeed.”

Qrow narrows his eyes. It’s not the lighting. Clover is certainly redder. He feels his heart rate kick up again. He wonders if Ruby had noticed the same thing, which was why she pressed so far. Maybe he has a chance after all.

Qrow grins wide. Time to up the ante. “What’s that mean, boy scout? Planning to ask me out?”

Clover sputters and jolts upright. “No!” he shouts, just a bit too loud and too quickly. 

Qrow frowns. Pushed too far, he supposes. “Wow, you know you could injure my ego a little less harshly.” He raises his hands. “It’s fine though, I get it. I was just teasing, anyways.”

“Wait, Qrow, I didn’t mean…” Clover steps forward, one hand outstretched towards him. “Please don’t take that the wrong way, I was just caught off guard.”

Qrow just raises an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. 

“You’re… a wonderful friend, Qrow. And a fantastic partner in the field. And I do love spending time with you, even if it’s just playing a never-losing game of cards with you.”

Qrow snorts and rolls his eyes. “The only kind of game of cards.”

There’s a small huff and a smirk, but Clover continues. “Ruby was just making sure I wasn’t leading you on or going to break your heart. But, like I told her, I do care about you, and I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

Qrow held his gaze. “Are you?”

Clover’s brows furrow. “Am I…?”

“Leading me on?”

Green eyes blink, Clover’s mouth falling open slightly before quickly closing. “Qrow… I…” There’s a small stretch of silence that follows.

He sighs. “It’s fine, Clover. Don’t worry about it. I really do get it.”

“No, wait. Don’t…” Clover holds out a hand. “Please let me finish before you run off.” 

Qrow shifts on his feet, hands tapping his thigh before he crosses his arms. “Alright. I’m listening.” 

Clover offers him a small smile. “Thank you.”

He gives a slight nod in return, his nerves alight, and every cell in his body screams at him to transform and fly away as fast as possible. He already got his answer. Why must he wait around for the explanation? 

“I’m not going to say I haven’t thought about you like that, because, well, I have. You’re an interesting man, Qrow Branwen. And I…  _ am _ interested.”

Qrow blinks. Say  _ what _ ?

“But, we really don’t know each other that well, right? We’ve barely known each other for a couple of months. And sure, we’ve spent a lot of time together, but a lot of it has been professional huntsman work, with our focus being on completing the Amity Tower.”

Qrow nods. 

“I suppose what I’m saying is, I’m not entirely sure it’s a good idea to consider… personal relationships. At least not right now. And I would love to get to know you better before making a commitment to you.” Clover smiles at him, his eyes soft.

Qrow takes a moment to process everything he had said. So Clover  _ did _ like him back.

He smiles. “Shamrock, if I may say… You’re making it out like dating me means marrying me.”

There’s a small tilt in Clover’s head. “Isn’t… isn’t that the point of dating?”

Qrow snorts. “That’s the goal, sure, but not the point. The point of dating is the trial run. To get to know the other more. To see if you’re compatible. And if you’re not, you’re not. You break up. That’s… that’s how it works.”

Clover hums. “I suppose you’re right.” 

“Of course I am,” Qrow quips. 

“Previous experience, then?”

“Quite a bit, actually.” But Qrow certainly wasn’t going to go into detail with that one.

Thankfully Clover doesn’t push it. He simply nods, casting his eyes to the floor. “Well, I have to say I haven’t much. One of my first -- and last -- relationships, well, took advantage of me.”

Qrow’s eyes widen. “Clover…” 

“I mean they used me only for my semblance. So, forgive me when I say I’m a little hesitant.” Clover meets his gaze again, and Qrow sighs in understanding. 

“Cloves, I get it. And now you have an extra layer of worry with me and Misfortune. I don’t blame you for thinking I might use you for your semblance.”

Clover’s eyes shift again to the side, a pensive look on his face. 

“For what it’s worth,” Qrow takes a breath and steps closer, resting a hand on Clover’s arm, “I can’t say I hadn’t had selfish thoughts about you being safe from me… but I also know that I like you for a lot more than your semblance.” 

Qrow squeezes his shoulder and catches his gaze. “I mean, you’re genuinely nice to me and ask me to hang out with you, even knowing I bring bad luck. And you’re strong, and kind, and great with the kids, which is a major plus.

“You’ve got a good head on those shoulders, Clover. At least from what I’ve seen. And I’m sure we have our fair share of semblance troubles. But I think because ours are so similar, a lot of those troubles may be the same. I don’t know about you, but I feel like you get it. You get  _ me _ . And I haven’t connected so well with someone before, it’s almost terrifying.” 

Clover smiles and nods. “I can certainly agree with all that. And I ask you to hang out because I do love your company. It’s been a refreshing change of pace. I honestly wish we could get to spend more time together outside of work.”

“Then why don’t we?” 

Clover looks at him. “Qrow, we don’t have a lot of free time. We’re sort of in the middle of--” 

“Do you think I don’t know what we’re dealing with? Clover, I’ve been dealing with Salem way longer than you have even known of her existence.” Qrow gives him a pointed look. “And besides… if anything, why wait? Why wait until we’re done with the tower, or done fighting Salem, to try this out? Wouldn’t that be a waste of time?”

Qrow watches as Clover’s eyes widen and then soften, dropping to the ground. There’s a beat before Clover smiles and lifts his eyes again to meet his. 

“You know… you’re absolutely right.” Clover steps in closer and gingerly takes Qrow’s hand. “I suppose I have been so focused on the after that I failed to realize we might not make it there.”

“Yeah. Optimism is great and all, but sometimes you gotta remember the business we’re in.” Qrow smirks, giving his hand a squeeze. 

“Well then, I suppose we should try? See where this goes?” Clover asks, a small nervous smile on his lips. 

Qrow returns the smile. “I’d like that, honestly. But we don’t have to rush it. Just because we don’t want to waste time doesn’t mean we can’t take our time, too.” 

“That sounds like a great plan to me.” 

Qrow smiles, his heart full. In some weird way, he felt like he needed to thank Ruby. He takes a small step forward before pressing a light kiss to Clover’s cheek and pulling back. 

“Well then, Shamrock. What say we plan something for after tomorrow’s mission?”

Clover’s red cheeks complimented his wide, hopeful eyes. He smiles and nods. “I would like that a lot, Qrow.”


End file.
